Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Fichrymerchepu’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Chrysanthemum  plant named ‘Fichrymerchepu’, characterized by its upright to outwardly spreading and uniformly and broadly mounded plant habit; moderately vigorous growth habit; freely branching habit; dense and full plant form; uniform and freely flowering habit; medium-sized decorative-type inflorescences with dark red purple-colored ray florets; mid-season flowering habit, grown under natural season conditions, plants begin flowering in early to mid-September in the United Kingdom; and good garden performance.

Botanical designation: Chrysanthemum X morifolium.

Cultivar denomination: ‘FICHRYMERCHEPU’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum X morifolium, commercially grown as a garden Chrysanthemum plant, referred to as code number 65772 in U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/497,474 and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Fichrymerchepu’.

The new Chrysanthemum plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Fareham, Hampshire, United Kingdom. The objective of the breeding program is to create new mid-season flowering garden Chrysanthemum plants with numerous attractive inflorescences.

The new Chrysanthemum plant originated from a cross-pollination made in January, 2009 by the Inventor in Fareham, Hampshire, United Kingdom of an unidentified selection of Chrysanthemum X morifolium, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with an unidentified selection of Chrysanthemum X morifolium, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Chrysanthemum plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant from within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled greenhouse environment in Fareham, Hampshire, United Kingdom in September, 2009.

Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum plant by terminal vegetative cuttings was first conducted in Fareham, Hampshire, United Kingdom in December, 2009. Asexual reproduction by terminal vegetative cuttings has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have not been observed under all possible combinations of environmental conditions and cultural practices. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environmental conditions such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Fichrymerchepu’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Fichrymerchepu’ as a new and distinct Chrysanthemum plant:

-   -   1. Upright to outwardly spreading and uniformly and broadly         mounded plant habit.     -   2. Moderately vigorous growth habit.     -   3. Freely branching habit; dense and full plant form.     -   4. Uniform and freely flowering habit.     -   5. Medium-sized decorative-type inflorescences with dark red         purple-colored ray florets.     -   6. Mid-season flowering habit, grown under natural season         conditions, plants begin flowering in early to mid-September in         the United Kingdom.     -   7. Good garden performance.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of the female and male parent selections. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ primarily from plants of the parent selections in time to flower as plants of the new Chrysanthemum flower earlier than plants of the parent selections.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of Chrysanthemum X morifolium ‘Fichryevenpur’, disclosed in U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 15/732,504. In side-by-side comparisons, plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ primarily from plants of ‘Fichryevenpur’ in time to flower as plants of the new Chrysanthemum flower earlier than plants of ‘Fichryevenpur’. In addition, plants of the new Chrysanthemum have slightly larger inflorescences than plants of ‘Fichryevenpur’.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying photograph illustrates the overall appearance of the new Chrysanthemum plant showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photograph may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Chrysanthemum plant. The photograph is a top perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Fichrymerchepu’ grown in a 14-cm container.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photograph and following observations and measurements describe plants grown during the winter in 14-cm containers in a glass-covered greenhouse in Fareham, Hampshire, United Kingdom and under cultural practices typical of commercial garden Chrysanthemum production. During the production of the plants, day and night temperatures ranged from 17° C. to 21° C. and light levels averaged 6,000 lux. Plants were grown under long day/short night conditions for about five weeks (including propagation period) and then grown under short day/long night conditions to induce inflorescence initiation and development. Plants were twelve weeks old when the photograph and detailed description were taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, Fifth Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Chrysanthemum X morifolium     ‘Fichrymerchepu’. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Unidentified selection of             Chrysanthemum X morifolium, not patented.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Unidentified selection of             Chrysanthemum X morifolium, not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots, summer.—About ten days at             temperatures about 21° C.         -   Time to initiate roots, winter.—About twelve days at             temperatures about 21° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer.—About three             weeks at temperatures about 21° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, winter.—About four             weeks at temperatures about 21° C.         -   Root description.—Medium in thickness, fibrous; typically             light brown in color, actual color of the roots is dependent             on substrate composition, water quality, fertilizer type and             formulation, substrate temperature and physiological age of             roots.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; medium density. -   Plant description:     -   -   Plant and growth habit.—Herbaceous decorative-type garden             Chrysanthemum; stems upright to outwardly spreading giving a             uniformly and broadly mounded appearance to the plant;             numerous lateral branches and relatively short internodes,             dense and full plant form; moderately vigorous growth habit.         -   Plant height.—About 20 cm.         -   Plant width.—About 34 cm.         -   Branching habit.—Freely branching habit; about 17 lateral             branches develop after removal of terminal apex (pinching).         -   Lateral branches.—Length: About 18 cm. Diameter: About 3 mm.             Internode length: About 1 cm. Strength: Strong. Aspect:             About 45° from vertical and then bending upwardly. Texture:             Fine pubescence. Color: Close to 143C. -   Leaf description:     -   -   Arrangement.—Alternate, simple.         -   Length.—About 4 cm.         -   Width.—About 3.2 cm.         -   Shape.—Palmately-lobed; roughly ovate with three to five             lobes.         -   Apex.—Broadly acuminate.         -   Base.—Attenuate.         -   Margin.—Slightly dentate and palmately lobed; sinuses             between lateral lobes mostly divergent.         -   Texture, upper and lower surfaces.—Fine pubescence; slightly             rough; veins prominent on lower surface.         -   Color.—Developing leaves, upper surface: Close to 137A.             Developing leaves, lower surface: Close to 137C. Fully             expanded leaves, upper surface: Close to 146A; venation,             close to 146B. Fully expanded leaves, lower surface: Close             to 139C; venation, close to 146B.         -   Petioles.—Length: About 1.5 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm.             Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Fine pubescence; slightly             rough. Color, upper and lower surfaces: Close to 146B. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Form and flowering habit.—Decorative-type inflorescence form             with ligulate-shaped ray florets; inflorescences borne on             terminals above and beyond the foliar plane; disc and ray             florets arranged acropetally on a capitulum; freely             flowering habit with about 221 inflorescences developing per             plant during the flowering season.         -   Fragrance.—Strongly fragrant; pungent, herbaceous.         -   Flowering response.—Mid-season flowering habit, plants             exposed to natural season conditions begin flowering in             early to mid-September in the United Kingdom; plants flower             uniformly and continuously during the flowering season.         -   Inflorescence longevity.—Inflorescences maintain good color             and substance for about three to five weeks on the plant;             inflorescences persistent.         -   Inflorescence buds.—Height: About 4 mm. Diameter: About             5 mm. Shape: Oblate. Color: Close to 137C.         -   Inflorescence diameter.—About 4 cm.         -   Inflorescence height.—About 1.5 cm.         -   Receptacles.—Height: About 2 mm. Diameter: About 3 mm.             Shape: Conical. Color: Close to 145B.         -   Ray florets.—Number of ray florets per inflorescence: About             96 arranged in about eight whorls. Orientation: Initially             upright, then about 70° from vertical. Length: About 1.4 cm.             Width: About 6 mm. Shape: Ligulate. Apex: Emarginate. Base:             Fused into a short tube. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and             lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous; double-keeled. Color: When             opening, upper surface: Close to 64A. When opening, lower             surface: Close to 70B. Fully opened, upper surface: Close to             72A; with development, color becoming closer to 70A. Fully             opened, lower surface: Close to N78C; color does not change             with development.         -   Disc florets.—Disc floret initiation and development has not             been observed on plants of the new Chrysanthemum to date.         -   Phyllaries.—Number of phyllaries per inflorescence: About 18             arranged in about three whorls. Length: About 6 mm. Width:             About 2 mm. Shape: Lanceolate. Apex: Acute. Base: Obtuse.             Margin: Entire. Texture, upper surface: Smooth, glabrous;             waxy. Texture, lower surface: Fine pubescence; waxy. Color,             upper surface: Close to 143A. Color, lower surface: Close to             137C.         -   Peduncles.—Length, terminal peduncle: About 3.9 cm.             Diameter, terminal peduncle: About 2 mm. Angle: Erect to             about 10° from vertical. Strength: Strong; flexible.             Texture: Densely pubescent. Color: Close to 137D.         -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium: None observed. Gynoecium:             Present only on ray florets. Pistil length: About 5 mm.             Stigma shape: Bi-parted. Stigma color: Close to 9B. Style             length: About 1 mm. Style color: Close to 1B. Ovary color:             Close to NN155A.         -   Seeds and fruits.—Seed and fruit production has not been             observed on plants of the new Chrysanthemum to date. -   Disease & pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common     to Chrysanthemum plants has not been observed on plants of the new     Chrysanthemum to date. -   Garden performance: Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have     demonstrated good garden performance and to tolerate temperatures     from about 0° C. to about 35° C. 

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Fichrymerchepu’ as illustrated and described. 